Your Housing Truth Table

This is simple, honest accounting — the lifetime cost of safe, healthy shelter, expressed per square foot and per month.

The Housing Truth Table

Category	How it is calculated
Home size	Square feet of the dwelling
Health-span	Expected years of safe use (typically 70–100 years)
Purchase & financing	Price of the home plus all interest paid
Taxes & insurance	Property tax + homeowners insurance × years
Maintenance & replacement	Roofs, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, exterior, interior, etc.
Total lifetime cost	Sum of all above
Cost per year	Total ÷ years
Cost per sq ft per year	Cost per year ÷ square feet
Cost per sq ft per month	Cost per sq ft per year ÷ 12

This is the true cost of a safe, durable home.

Not the sticker price.
Not the rent.
The real human-life cost.

The Housing Lifecycle Cost Table

(in 2026 economy)

(70–100 year human health-span)

This table represents normal, responsible ownership of a modest, well-built American home.

System	Typical Lifespan	Typical Replacement Cost	# of Replacements (70 yrs)	Lifetime Cost
Roof (asphalt shingle)	25–30 yrs	$18,000–$25,000	2–3	$40,000–$70,000
HVAC (furnace + AC or heat pump)	12–18 yrs	$8,000–$15,000	4–5	$40,000–$60,000
Water heater	8–12 yrs	$1,500–$3,000	6–8	$12,000–$20,000
Plumbing system	40–60 yrs	$10,000–$20,000	1	$10,000–$20,000
Electrical system	40–60 yrs	$10,000–$20,000	1	$10,000–$20,000
Windows	30–40 yrs	$20,000–$40,000	1–2	$25,000–$60,000
Exterior siding & paint	20–30 yrs	$15,000–$30,000	2–3	$30,000–$75,000
Flooring	15–25 yrs	$15,000–$40,000	2–3	$30,000–$80,000
Kitchen remodel	25–30 yrs	$25,000–$60,000	2	$50,000–$120,000
Bathrooms	25–30 yrs	$15,000–$40,000	2	$30,000–$80,000
Foundation & structure	70–100 yrs	spot repairs	—	$10,000–$30,000
Electrical fixtures, appliances	10–20 yrs	rolling	—	$20,000–$50,000

Total realistic lifetime maintenance

$300,000 to $600,000 per home

This aligns with engineering and insurance-industry lifecycle estimates.

This is the money landlords and investors quietly collect — whether or not they actually spend it on upkeep.

Why this dataset changes everything

Most housing “economics” ignores this table.

But roofs still fail.
Pipes still corrode.
HVAC still breaks.
Mold still grows.
Humans still need safe air, water, and warmth.

When rents rise faster than this cost curve, the difference is not maintenance — it is extraction.

Why this scares financialized housing

This table allows anyone to ask:

“How much of my rent is actually going to my roof, and how much is going to someone else’s wealth?”

That question is lethal to predatory models.

Why this fits The Liberty and Prosperity Plan

This is not an argument about ideology.
This is published truth in ledger form.

“Housing is a health-span utility. Here is its cost. Everything above that is optional profit.”

That makes reform inevitable — and reasonable.